Shaganappi Point
Shaganappi Point is a municipal golf course in southwest Calgary. It is located off of Bow Trail at 26th Street southwest. The facility offers 27 holes. The 18-hole course is called the Pointe and plays to a par of 69. The 9-hole course is called the Valley and plays to a par of 33. The back nine of the Pointe course is located at the top of the escarpment of the Bow River Valley. This provides some spectacular views of the Bow River, the university, and downtown Calgary. The tee shot on the 13th hole must carry a large gorge that is part of the escarpment. The gorge also comes into play on the 10th hole. The course underwent a major renovation over three years starting in 1997. The three phases were focused on one of the nines at a time. *The first phase renovated the back nine of the 18-hole course. This was the most complex of the renovations that involved a totally new course layout. The original back nine had par threes on four of the first five holes. It also had very small greens. The land covering the old 10th and 11th holes was converted to a driving range. The green of the new tenth hole is near to where the old 12th green was located. The gorge that comes into play on 13 also comes into play on the tenth. The land that held the old 13th hole (a long par three) now is occupied by two very short par threes before the tee shot over the gorge on 13. Before the renovation, the 14th was a par three over the gorge to a tiny green. After the 13th, the back nine takes a routing west and then back east of the clubhouse similar to the old nine, but the renovated holes are further west. The 17th was originally a par five, but was shortened to a par four after a condo development got too close to the original tee boxes. *The second phase renovated the Valley Nine. The renovation did not result in any changes to the routing of the holes. The par was changed from 31 to 33 as several of the par threes on the old course were quite long. The course went from a single tee box to three tees per hole. The greens were enlarged and several very scenic additions were added. The most notable is the water hazard on the sixth and seventh holes. *The third phase renovated the front nine of the main course. The overall route of the holes was for the most part unchanged, but the routing changes are more significant than the Valley nine. A variable in this renovation was to make accommodations for the future west LRT expansion, which would travel along Bow Trail. The first hole had a water hazard added to the left side. The second and third holes - which travelled parallel to Bow Trail, were moved inwards. The most significant routing change on this course affected four through eight. The fourth hole was lengthened and the green stands where the old fifth tee was located. The fifth hole - a par three - now has a northeast line of play compared to a direct east line of play on the old hole. It also has a nasty odd shaped bunker guarding the right front. The sixth hole now plays a dogleg left compared to straightaway on the old course. The seventh and eighth were par fours under the original nine, but their routes were blended together. The seventh is now a double-dogleg par five. The eighth was shortened to a par three. Except for a water hazard, there was little change to the ninth. *Another renovation in 2010 was performed on the front nine of the main course and one hole on the Valley Nine to accommodate the West LRT project. The opening hole now is a driveable par four with typical par three distances, however the green is a peninsula green. The second hole is a typical par four while the third hole was shortened to a par three. The sixth hole on the Valley nine is now a moderate length par three. *This renovation expanded the 18-hole course to four tees per hole, compared to one or two per hole. It also was helpful in alleviating slow play early in the round due to the abundance of eagle opportunities for longer hitters. *The longest par three on Shaganappi's 18-hole course is 150 yards from the back tee, compared to several in the 200 yard range on the old course. All six par threes on this course play under 100 yards from the front tee. The Valley nine has a par three playing 203 yards from the tips. *At the time of the renovation, the Valley nine was a first-come first-serve course. While the Valley Nine was under renovation, the front nine of the 18-hole course served first-come players while the back nine was tied to the reservation system. Today, both courses use the reservation system. Reservations can be made using the city's computerized booking system at 221-3510.